Edinburgh named Scotland's 'pothole capital' as figures show lots more reported here than anywhere else
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The Tories said across Scotland more than 400,000 potholes had been reported to local councils since 2021. And they blamed the “appallling” state of the country’s roads on Scottish Government cuts to local authority budgets, leaving them unable to fund repairs.
The figures, obtained through a series of Freedom of Information requests to councils, showed Edinburgh accounted for nearly a quarter of the Scottish total of 413,183 potholes recorded over the last four years.


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Hide AdIn 2021-22, the Capital recorded 28,176 potholes reported; the following year it fell to 16,456; in 2023-24 it rose again to 23,784; and the figure so far for 2024-25 is a massive 30,751. That adds up to a total of 99,667 over the four years.
Edinburgh had by far the largest number of potholes each year. The next single biggest figure was 18,148 in Aberdeen in 2023-24; Dumfries and Galloway recorded 12,689 in 2022-23; and Glasgow reached 10,265 the same year.
Scottish Conservative transport spokesperson and Lothian MSP Sue Webber said it was time that SNP ministers gave councils the resources they needed to ensure roads were “fit for purpose” so motorists no longer had to “dodge potholes every time they drive on Scotland’s roads”.
She said: “These astonishing figures reveal the true state of Scotland’s crumbling roads.
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Hide Ad“With over 400,000 potholes recorded in the last few years, motorists are paying a heavy price for the SNP’s failures to fix our pothole-ridden roads up and down the country.
“The buck stops firmly with the SNP. Their savage and sustained cuts to council budgets mean they simply do not have the resources to repair these potholes and the situation is only worsening year after year.
“The condition of many roads in Scotland are so appalling that they are not fit for purpose. This week coincided with National Pothole Day and these figures must be an urgent wake-up call for SNP ministers to act.
“They must finally give councils a fair funding deal and stop motorists from having to dodge potholes every time they drive on our roads.”
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Hide AdEdinburgh transport convener Stephen Jenkinson acknowledged there was much still to do to improve the state of the city’s roads, but said it was a key priority for the Labour administration.
He said: “We’re making really good progress. We continue prioritise roads and have backed that up financially over the last couple of years and the statistics show Edinburgh’s roads score is heading in the right direction. But we’re tackling a problem that has been a decade in the making.”
Edinburgh has invested in a Pothole Pro machine, dubbed “The Pothole Killer”, which its manufacturers JCB claim can carry out repairs in a quarter of the time at half the cost.
Cllr Jenkinson said: “I’m committed to continuing to invest in Edinburgh’s roads and do what I can to improve the experience for road users.
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Hide Ad“We allocated an extra £12.5 million last year and I’m looking to allocate a similar sum in this coming budget. Ultimately it’s investing heavily in the roads over a sustained period that will make a real difference.”
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